Ranges available for private training

[saber]

So a group of friends and I shoot IDPA as regularly as we can with the IDPA group at Prado. It's a great group and they do a great job on the matches. We all live in Riverside County/San Bernardino County.

We are interested in practicing more and essentially creating our own matches as a form of practice. That's not something that we can do at indoor ranges and even the outdoor ranges in our area make that difficult since we generally can only get one or maybe 2 bays to shoot in at a time.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a facility we might try out?

[rodralig]

So a group of friends and I shoot IDPA as regularly as we can with the IDPA group at Prado. It's a great group and they do a great job on the matches. We all live in Riverside County/San Bernardino County.

We are interested in practicing more and essentially creating our own matches as a form of practice. That's not something that we can do at indoor ranges and even the outdoor ranges in our area make that difficult since we generally can only get one or maybe 2 bays to shoot in at a time.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a facility we might try out?

You can reach out directly to the usual outdoor ranges to give you more than 1~2 bays for you to setup your own match. However you may need to work up some arrangements, etc. as it would be a liability thing, etc.

Or, perhaps, reach out to the private clubs like SWPL, WEGC, etc. if you can work out rentals for multiple bays just like for setting up a class?


That said, why do you need more than one bay for competitive shooting practice/training? (Ben Stoeger / JJ Racaza / Tim Herron / Steve Anderson, etc. can train a group of at least 10 students in one bay)


_

[anonymouscuban]

California Tactical Academy in Piru is your best bet as it?s a public range that offers bays for rental by the public. Others, like the range SWPL uses, are private ranges that require you to have your own liability insurance, range officer and trainer certs to rent and use their facilities.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SG29736]

How much do you expect to pay to have several bays reserved for even half a day. Plus are you expecting to use a clubs walls targets etc.

[anonymouscuban]

How much do you expect to pay to have several bays reserved for even half a day. Plus are you expecting to use a clubs walls targets etc.

You bring up a good point that maybe OP hasn?t considered. Renting the bay is a small part of it. You need all the range equipment as well. They won?t provide that.

Even a simple stage requires a lot of stuff. Targets, walls, barrels, target stands, fault lines.

OP? what is your goal from this? Are you looking to train to get better at practical shooting? Or are you looking to actually host matches?

If it?s to train, you don?t need to setup stages. Actually, shooting stages for training isn?t the most effective way to get better at the individual skills you need for our sports. I recommend you watch some of Ben Stoeger?s full class videos on YouTube. I share a lot of my training footage on my YouTube channel as well. Much of it are drills I?ve learned from Ben.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SG29736]

As a member of the range and club where I shoot some USPSA matches I have access to the clubs equipment. But I have enough of my own target stands and steel that I just use my own. I grab some used cardboard targets after a match and have paper USPSA targets I staple to them. I also use some regular bullseye targets with a 5 1/2" black center. I've got a springloaded mini popper too. Some of the better shooters at our club do setup sort of partial stages to work on certain skills with walls etc. This is just available with our annual club membership fee with no additional fees. We are not in a large metropolitan area.

[saber]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for the responses. Here is some additional information for consideration.

The main issue I have is that I don't really have much of the stuff that I would use to set up any kind of environment to simulate the experience of a match. I don't want to run matches but do want to create a environment that is similar to what we all experience during our actual matches.

Here's a quick example. Our IDPA matches almost always have some type of shooting around some type of simulated wall or cover. Sometimes it's a large barrel and other times, it's a simulated wall. The wall is usually some type of plastic mesh between 2 poles. You can see through it but we treat it as a wall and you have to shoot around it. I currently don't have anything like that.

One of the last times we went to our usual outdoor range, I tried to simulate that using a target which the RO's didn't like. They asked that all targets put up against the berm, which I consider the be a perfectly reasonable request to limit people shooting over the berms. It's there range and their rules.

I can certainly make a wall like what I described using some poles, umbrella stands, and some type of net or mesh. It wouldn't be that expensive or hard to make. I could even make 2 or 3 of them.

The main issue is that I would have to bring that to the range and take the time to set it up. That doesn't include the other props I've seen at these stages like steel plates (which I don't own), dropping or disappearing targets (which I don't own) and other related items.

If possible, I'd like to find a place that had things like that available or already set up so we could practice using that set-up. I appreciate the thoughts and suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

[rodralig]

The main issue is that I would have to bring that to the range and take the time to set it up. That doesn't include the other props I've seen at these stages like steel plates (which I don't own), dropping or disappearing targets (which I don't own) and other related items.

If possible, I'd like to find a place that had things like that available or already set up so we could practice using that set-up. I appreciate the thoughts and suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

Going back to @anonymouscuban - best bet would be CTA at Piru. Why don't you check with them? Inquire if you can use their props when you rent a bay as well the cost? Maybe Route 66 may be possible, as well.

But I am going to be telling you it will not be feasible/practical. There will be the added cost, additional contracts/agreements, waiting for range staff to bring the props to the bay, you setting it up, tear down, etc.


That said, what are you trying to get out of IDPA matches? Do you go to other IDPA matches, or primarily at Prado? Are you intent in dominating the matches (top 10)? Sanctioned/trophy matches? I just have a gut feel that you may be going around this in a not so effective manner... If you don't mind me asking - are you at least EX, or high SS in IDPA?


_

[SG29736]

My experience is that clubs are only going to allow the use of their props, walls, steel, bays, to established, regular shooters(members) of that club. There is a big risk of others shooting up the walls, shooting holes into the steel. It's hard enough to get one bay to use let alone several bays. And just like at matches some of your time will be setting up and putting it all away when finished. Plus the increased chances of unknown shooters running around shooting vs standing and shooting at targets downrange.

[anonymouscuban]

I agree with SG? I?m a member of SWPL. We don?t loan our range equipment to anyone. Even to club members, you?d have to be very trusted and that?s a very short list. The unfortunate truth is that stuff gets destroyed. Whether it?s accidental or intentional.

I?m still trying to understand your goal. Based on your last post, you don?t want to run matches you simply want to train to get better at the skills required of our practical shooting sports. I can tell you that setting up full stages is a super inefficient way to train. The setup is too much and it will take longer to develop skill.

You can train absolutely every skills we use with 3 or 4 cardboard target stands and 1 or 2 8? steel round plates. Maybe 2 barrels would be beneficial but it?s not necessary.

I mentioned it earlier but I highly recommend you research specific drills for training various skills individually. It?s much easier to improve a skill when you focus your training on it.

There is plenty of content on youtube on effective drills for developing skills? grip, recoil management, transitions, movement, position entries, positioning exits, etc.

Here is a link to a playlist on my YouTube channel of over 140 videos of my training sessions spanning the last 2-3 years or so.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3HfPc84cvIaFFf2OQr9_TL-L4UnaZTOC&si=OIjv6FoHAD4Ecktb

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Zenderfall]

One of the last times we went to our usual outdoor range, I tried to simulate that using a target which the RO's didn't like. They asked that all targets put up against the berm, which I consider the be a perfectly reasonable request to limit people shooting over the berms. It's there range and their rules.

This sounds like Raahauge's, going by the description and looking at your location. Nice place, at least they have private ranges for you to do whatever you want inside, even if its short range and having to line targets up against the berm.

If possible, I'd like to find a place that had things like that available or already set up so we could practice using that set-up.

Good luck with that! One word: Liability. There's not going to be a public place that has all that nice stuff already setup for you to go run through and train. It's going to be a club you're going to have to join, and from that, only a few trusted members will grant you this privilege. Just as the other members above have posted, you don't necessarily have to do exactly IDPA/USPSA runs to get good at it the sport. There's plenty of skill-building without having to do the unholster, run & gun.

[Scratch705]

your buddies and you will have to pony up the cash to buy all that stuff. there is near zero public range that will have all that stuff setup for people to use.

the closest is maybe hanging steel targets like angeles range and route 66 has but thats it. but that is nowhere near what you want in terms of setup.

your complaint about how much time it takes to setup the props is also the same problem matches have. they always ask for volunteers to help setup the bays before the match and usually will provide a free entry as thanks.

[SG29736]

If I want to simulate shooting and moving to adifferent shooting area I'll set up 2 or 3 target arrays. I'll use some target sticks on the ground as faultlines and practice shooting, reloading and moving. Near targets, far targets, partial targets. Then you can change the arrays or faultlines. But I don't use walls. I will use a target stand with cardboard to simulate having to lean out from a wall.

Before I bought target stands I made them out of pvc pipe large enough to put the 1?2s in. Gravel in the bottom for weight and removable uprights for transportation. You can do a lot with just this equipment.

[Corbin Dallas]

There are people who host IDPA training events. I know, because I?ve done them before for a small group of competitors I knew were already proficient enough not to shoot me or break the 180 during the sessions.

With that said, the half day cost me $350. That was 0800 to 1200. 7 guys at $50/ea covered my costs. I did not charge them for my time as I would run the COFs as well. Not only for trigger time, but to find flaws in my stage setups like safety, and or rule issues.

I designed the stages, I built all the props like walls, stands, movers, etc? and I would save old targets to use for these events.

So unless you have all the props and access to a single bay at an outdoor range like Prado/Piru/Pala for a reasonable cost, it?s going to be a difficult run.

Conversely, you could train at home with things like air soft, blowback, lasers, or just dry fire.

You could also ask someone who is much faster than you are to give you pointers on where you could make up time, be more accurate, or even video you for post stage analysis.

[saber]

Hey everyone,

I've come to realize that perhaps this idea was not the best one I've ever had. Some issues I had not thought through based on all your comments.

1. I would need to buy all the stuff, since the likelihood that I could find a place with the stuff I want is very unlikely.

2. If I did find a place that had the stuff, they likely would require some level of liability/insurance coverage that I don't want to have to deal with or would be able

3. I am not sure I really understand how professional shooters really train so I should dig into that some more

Anyways, thanks to you all for your insights and suggestions. I will do some more digging. I really approach the suggestions about specific training videos and also asking some of the other shooters for pointers.

My buddies and I do video each other during our stages which I have also found very helpful in terms of going back to a stage to see how I did and what went well and what didn't.